Our EME compliance strategy

Our compliance strategy is comprehensive. We take a risk and evidence-based approach to compliance.

There are clear and enforceable rules for all suppliers and operators of equipment that emits EME including:

• Manufacturers
• Transmitter operators
• Suppliers of consumer devices

The safe levels

The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) sets the safe EME levels in the Standard for Limiting Exposure to Radiofrequency Fields – 100 kHz to 300 GHz.

The standard:

• protects against all known health impacts
• includes a large safety factor

It is in line with international recommendations by the World Health Organization and the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection.

ARPANSA conducts regular checks to make sure the safe levels are up-to-date with the latest Australian and international research.

It is a condition of the licences we issue that this standard must be met. Devices supplied in Australia must meet this standard. Operation of equipment must meet this standard.

We investigate complaints from the public as well as do our own audits. 

We check as new technology comes onto the market.

There are many ways we check EME compliance and encourage industry to self-monitor. We:

• audit the documents supplier must keep like laboratory test results
• audit specific devices and equipment like base stations, smart meters, mobile phones, Wi-Fi devices
• do site inspections

We have awareness programs to educate suppliers and the community about the rules on EME. This prevents problems before they occur. 

We work with Australian Border Force, law enforcement agencies and regulators. Many of our products come from overseas, so we also work with international regulators.

We do formal investigations into a supplier or licensee. If they haven’t followed the rules we can:

• get the licensee to test their equipment by using a registered National Association of Testing Authorities member
• give a formal warning
• take the matter to court

Technology is a fast changing area. We review our compliance strategy each year. We target areas of public concern.

We have found a high level of compliance with safe levels of EME. Across the country and with different devices and suppliers, EME levels are within the safe levels set by the ARPANSA standard.

Our recent compliance programs have also focused on EME standards for network facilities, reporting on EME compliance for small cells in 2019–20 and in 2020–21 5G mobile base station deployments. The results of these programs have shown carriers are compliant with EME requirements and EME levels at mobile base stations are well below the safe levels set by ARPANSA .